ARC, Copenhill / Amager Bakke, Copenhagen, Denmark

Waste-to-energy plant with multiple purposes

Copenhagen’s state of the art plant sets new standards for environmental performance, energy production and waste treatment. Innovative technology and architecture integrate to form a future in which waste-to-energy plants are welcomed in any backyard.

In year 2017, Copenhageners and visitors will witness a waste-to-energy plant that is not only one of the best performing European plants in terms of energy efficiency, waste treatment capacity, and environmental consideration, but also in terms of visual rendition and local acceptance.

The plant, Copenhill / Amager Bakke, is being constructed by Amager Ressourcecenter (ARC), owned by five Danish municipalities. Copenhill / Amager Bakke will be equipped with two furnace lines and a joint turbine- and generator system. The plant replaces a 45-year-old plant with four furnace lines. By 2017 Amager Ressourcecenter will run a plant that burns 2 x 35 tonnes of waste per hour.

Altogether the energy plant will:

Treat around 400,000 tonnes of waste annually produced by 500,000 – 700,000 inhabitants and at least 46,000 companies.

Supply a minimum of 50,000 households with electricity and 120,000 households with district heating.

Have steam data at 440 degrees and 70 bars which doubles the electrical efficiency compared to the former plant.

In addition to the technological merits, the plant´s architecture includes a roof-wide artificial ski slope open to the public.

We have been contracted to supply the entire combustion system from crane through feeding, DynaGrate® and boiler, to ash handling, as well as a particle and NOx-reduction system.

Taking technology further

”It is a multi-purpose plant that is already catching the eyes of the world because of its local appeal. The plant provides energy and waste treatment, and will be an architectural landmark and a leisure facility. The novelty of the project is the combination of ingenious technology and innovative architecture in a project dedicated local community,” says Ole Hedegaard Madsen, Director of Technology and Marketing at Babcock & Wilcox Vølund.

Project Manager, Lars Juel Rasmussen, at Amager Ressourcecenter also sees the future plant as a showcase for Danish innovative technology.

”The plant stands out in terms of environmental considerations, energy production, and its working environment. It is also located near the airport and just five kilometers from Copenhagen’s Town Hall Square, so we’re not just talking about an industrial installation, but a landmark of the Danish capital, as well,” the Project Manager comments.

Energy efficient – clean air plant

Lars Juel Rasmussen is proud to build a plant that utilizes more than 100% of the fuel’s energy content, has a 28% electrical efficiency rate, reduces sulphur emissions by 99.5%, and minimizes NOx emissions to a tenth, compared to the former plant. The NOx-reduction is enabled due to a flue gas cleaning technology, Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), which we will install in cooperation with the catalyst manufacturer Haldor Topsøe. This is the first installation of SCR in a Danish waste-to-energy plant. Hence, ski enthusiasts need not to worry about the air quality at the slope on the operating plant.

“State of the art technology at Amager Bakke has an incredibly high environmental performance. Not least because the plant makes full and efficient use of the energy contained in the waste. It is possible to process all types of waste as fuel and still obtain a high level of energy recovery. For instance, we are able to use the organic fraction contained in the waste very efficiently,” says Ole Hedegaard Madsen.

The Babcock & Wilcox Vølund contribution to Amager Bakke:

Crane

Feeding system with hopper

DynaGrate® with water-cooled wear zone

Boiler

Ash system

Electrical system

Electrostatic precipitator (ESP) for the reduction of particles in the flue gas

Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) for reduction of NOx emissions

Economiser for cooling of flue gas

Combustion control system

Superb efficiency and recovery of material resources

This is how efficient the technology of the Copenhill plant is:

400,000 tons of waste a year result in:

99% energy efficiency.

District heating for 160,000 households.

Electricity for 62,500 households.

100 million litres of spare water recovered through flue gas condensation.

90% reuse of metals from waste amounting to 10,000 tonnes of metal a year.

100,000 tonnes of bottom ash reused as road material which saves large amounts of gravel.

Contract signing. From left: Ulla Röttger, CEO at Amager Ressourcecenter, Mogens Lønborg, Chariman of the board at Amager Ressourcecenter, and John Veje Olesen, Managing Director at B&W Vølund. Amager Ressourcecenter is owned by the Danish municipalities of Dragør, Frederiksberg, Hvidovre, Copenhagen, and Tårnby.